• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS GLOBAL
    • TESTIMONIES GLOBAL
    • OP-EDS GLOBAL
    • FEATURED GLOBAL
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
    • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / China / News China

China: Even Border Tourism Regulations Include Anti-Xie-Jiao Provisions

09/28/2022Liang Changpu |

New measures try to make sure that border tourists do not import forbidden religion or “extremism” into the country.

by Liang Changpu

Border tourism: the border between Vietnam and China at Lào Cai, Vietnam.
The border between Vietnam and China at Lào Cai, Vietnam. Credits.

China continuously produce new regulations to tighten surveillance and control. It is really fascinating to observe how the CCP’s obsession for xie jiao and “extremism” pops up literally everywhere.

A new draft regulation including “Measures for the Administration of Border Tourism” has been published for comments by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on September 20. The publication of drafts for comments is a pseudo-democratic cosmetic measure as rarely, if ever, are significant changes introduced based on third parties’ statements received by the authorities.

Border tourism is defined in China, as elsewhere, as tourism through short trips by those who live near the border in neighboring countries, and may be exempted from the normal visa requirements. In China, border tourism by both Chinese who visit areas just outside the border and foreign neighbors who visit China is only allowed if tourists are part of organized groups with pre-determined programs and itineraries.

With these limitations, resuming border tourism after COVID is important for the CCP. It is an excellent opportunity to expose foreigners who live near China’s border to CCP propaganda. As for the Chinese, in recent years and decades many have acquired a taste for tourism and to be allowed to travel abroad, if only for a short trip near the border, improves the morale of the tourists with good effects on social stability.

However, for the CCP control is always the key. This control extends to “extremist” activities, as it is always possible that ethnically and linguistically similar populations that live on the other side of the border may excite “separatist” feelings among ethnic minorities. Also, in recent years and even during the COVID crisis, border patrols have been organized, particularly at the borders with Vietnam, with the specific aim of preventing the entry into China of missionaries and of illegal religious material.

Chinese border police in action. Screenshot.
Chinese border police in action. Screenshot.

Xie jiao is sometimes translated as “cult,” but in fact indicates groups the CCP perceives as hostile to the regime, and Chinese courts increasingly interpret the category by including in it even groups that are not part of the official list of the xie jiao.

The new regulations on border tourism explicitly forbids that “contents that promote xie jiao” or promote “extremism,” another very broad category, may be included in the programs for the border tourists or brought to China by the border tourists themselves. One may assume that this is in fact unlikely, but the regulation offers further evidence of the CCP’s obsessions.

Tagged With: Anti-Religious Campaigns, Xie Jiao Organizations

bw-profile
Liang Changpu

Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.

Related articles

  • Dragon Boat Festival Used for Anti-Religious Propaganda

    Dragon Boat Festival Used for Anti-Religious Propaganda

  • Shanghai Uses Holidays to Indoctrinate Children Against “Illegal” Religion

    Shanghai Uses Holidays to Indoctrinate Children Against “Illegal” Religion

  • Remembering the Barin Revolution (April 5, 1990 )

    Remembering the Barin Revolution (April 5, 1990 )

  • Xie Jiao and Unauthorized Religion in China: Two Reports Note Growing Persecution

    Xie Jiao and Unauthorized Religion in China: Two Reports Note Growing Persecution

Keep Reading

  • Chinese Anti-Cult (and Anti-Religious) Propaganda Adopts New Style
    Chinese Anti-Cult (and Anti-Religious) Propaganda Adopts New Style

    Aesthetics liberally borrows from Asian manga (including some banned in China) and suggests you should trust science rather than religion.

  • Crackdown on Religious Content on the Internet Coming March 1, 2022
    Crackdown on Religious Content on the Internet Coming March 1, 2022

    After Xi Jinping lamented that social media and the web are used to proselytize for religion, which is forbideen, new draconian Measures have been enacted.

  • Southern Mongolia: The CCP Mobilizes Traditional Culture Against Religion 
    Southern Mongolia: The CCP Mobilizes Traditional Culture Against Religion 

    The Chinese appropriation and “Sinicization” of Mongolian cultural heritage is a well-known phenomenon. Now, shows are used to indoctrinate Mongolians against “illegal” religion. 

  • Talent Agents New Regulations: No Agents for Those Active in Illegal Religion
    Talent Agents New Regulations: No Agents for Those Active in Illegal Religion

    The new rules come into force on June 30 and deprive of agents’ services performers who criticize the CCP, are suspected of ‘separatism,” or follow non-authorized religions.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • Sinicization of Christianity Comes to Hong Kong by Gladys Kwok
  • The Last Words of a Uyghur Father: A Son’s Memory by Abdurehim Gheni Uyghur
  • China: Theological Seminaries Inspected to Check How “Sinicized” They Are by Zhang Chunhua
  • Occupied Ukraine: Anti-Cult “Experts” Target Moscow Patriarchate Dissident Priest by Massimo Introvigne
  • France, Sonia Backès Caught Red-Handed Again: A “Religious Profiling” of Muslim Students in Schools by Massimo Introvigne
  • Xi Jinping: Beijing’ National Art Museum Is Not Socialist Enough by Hu Zimo
  • Russia: Anti-Cultists Laughably Accuse Ukraine of Operating “Telephone Cults” by Massimo Introvigne

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY